Transportation

The measurement of the distance to determine student eligibility for transportation service shall be one (1.0) mile for elementary and one and one-half (1.5) miles for secondary.  The distance will be measured from the point at which the student’s driveway meets the public thoroughfare to the point of intersection of the center of the public street with the nearest school door.  Students attending the LATE Program are excluded from eligibility for transportation.

Transportation of special education students will be provided as required by law.

However, where unusual traffic and other hazards exist, the supervisor of transportation is directed to study the situation and determine the most appropriate resolution which both reasonably ensures the safety of the student(s) involved and is cost effective.  Appeals of the supervisor’s decision may be made to the director of operations who will, as appropriate, work with the consultation services of public safety officers with jurisdiction for that geographic area.

The transportation department is directed to continually study routing and revise school district bus routes so as to require students to walk reasonable distances to pick-up points, reduce the total miles traveled by school buses, eliminate transportation of students to school buildings where walking distances are reasonable, and reduce the cost incurred by the district.

View complete Student Transportation Management policy

BUS RULES

• Follow the driver's directions
• Arrive at stop 5 minutes before scheduled pick-up time.  Use designated bus stop
• Students should not be waiting in cars.  They should be standing in line, off the roadway
• Bus drivers are not required to stop when there are no students waiting at the stop
• No eating, drinking or chewing gum
• No littering or disruptive behavior
• No animals, glass bottles or skateboards
• Stay seated while the bus is in motion. Sit correctly in seat
• No profanity, harassment, or bullying
• No cell phone use on bus  
• Students must sit in their assigned seats 

Inclement Weather Information

For school closing information consult local television and radio stations. Or, click on the following link to obtain school closing information:

www.schoolclosed.com 

Walled Lake Schools Transportation Department
OFFICE HOURS:  6:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
46740 W. Pontiac Trail, Walled Lake - 48390
Phone: (248) 956-3090
Hotline: (248) 956-5199
Fax: (248) 956-3078

Dean Transportation Fax:  (248) 282-8424

YOUR CHILD'S SAFETY IS OUR FIRST PRIORITY!

BUS PASSES

Students may not ride any bus but their assigned bus without a bus pass.  Bus passes are only accepted on routes that have room for additional students. Bus passes are only issued for extenuating circumstances.  They will not be issued for after school study or play dates.   Most school buses are full and therefore cannot ordinarily accommodate additional students.

BUS EVACUATION DATES

The Michigan Department of Education recommends three bus evacuations per year.  All elementary students will participate in bus evacuations. 2022-2023 Bus Evacuations with  "BUSTER THE BUS" will be scheduled at all elementary schools sometime during this school year.  Please watch your school newsletters for the first evacuation date at your school.

• Elementary evacuations have not yet been scheduled for the 2022-2023 school year.

Parents will receive a School Messenger email the day prior to all scheduled evacuations. 

LOST ITEMS

Valuable items (like laptops or instruments) will be brought into the Transportation Office at the end of the day.  Other items will be left on the bus, near the driver, and can be picked up the next school day.

SCHOOL BUS STOPS

There are two kinds of school bus stops:

• Overhead red light stop  All traffic must come to a complete stop when the overhead red lights come on.  Children may be crossing the roadway.
• Yellow hazard light stop  Traffic may proceed around a stopped school bus with caution.  Children will not be crossing the roadway.  For more information on the hazard light stop, please visit this link and view our Hazard Light Video:

THE BUS IS YOUR BEST BET!!!

NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration),has done much research over many years on the safety of school buses.  We know from their research that the school bus is the safest mode of transportation for the 55 million students enrolled elementary and secondary schools in the United States.  Please visit this link to read why the "BUS IS YOUR BEST BET"

FUN FACTS ABOUT OUR BUS FLEET

• Our buses travel 1.5 million school miles each year
• We use over 202,000 gallons of fuel each year
• We transport 11,000 students on 91 bus routes each and every day
• Our buses use 3,000 gallons of oil each year
• We service 20 buildings in Walled Lake, 3 parochial schools and 8 special education out-of-district buildings 
• Dean Transportation employs 115 school bus drivers, 15 bus attendants, and 5 mechanics in Walled Lake